It's Always Been
by Mae Stark
Summary: These are my entries for the monthly challenge over at the LJ community, it's always been.
1. No One Else

This is one of the fics I posted for the 3rd Challenge, the Valentine's Day Challenge at it's_always_been over at LiveJournal. I'm pretty happy with this one. :)

Tony Stark is not my boyfriend. I have never discovered a new element in my basement. I did not build a high-tech suit out in a cave with a box of scraps. Basically, I don't own Iron Man.

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No One Else

She awakens slowly, enjoying the way the soft cotton sheets feel against her fair skin. She doesn't want to get out of bed yet, so she rolls over, snuggling closer to the other side of the bed, the side that Tony normally occupies.

By this time, Jarvis has already noticed the change in her breathing and heart rate. Sunlight pours in as the windows are lightened, and he calls out in greeting. "Good morning, Miss Potts. It is currently 7:06 a.m. on February 14th, 2011. The temperature in Malibu is–"

"Shush, Jarvis," Pepper whispers anxiously. "You'll wake Tony." She rolls over, checking to see if he has stirred at the noise, and sees nothing. He's not there.

"Miss Potts, I regret to inform you that Mr. Stark is currently on a mission for SHIELD. He received a call from Director Fury early this morning and left soon afterwards."

She covers her face with her hands and sighs. "Fury called him with a mission? On Valentine's Day?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Director Fury did not seem to be concerned that today is, as humans call it, 'Valentine's Day'. But I assure you that Mr. Stark attempted very cunningly to evade his assignment." Despite it all, Pepper smiles. Tony can be very charismatic and persuasive when he wants to be. Goodness knows how many times he has turned his charm on her. And nearly every time he does, she gives in to him.

It's their first official Valentine's Day as a couple, and Pepper has been looking forward to it for a while now. Knowing Tony, he had probably planned something elegant and sweet, like a walk on the beach, or a self-composed song played on his old acoustic guitar, or a picnic under the stars followed by a midnight swim. He never fails to surprise her with his thoughtfulness or creativity. Pepper is a bit of a romantic, and, as it turns out, so is Tony. He always knows just what to do to make her practically squeal in delight.

But now, those plans are put on hold for Iron Man.

Pepper recognizes that it was Iron Man that changed Tony into the man she loves, but she wishes that he wasn't always called away on missions. It always seems that at the worst possible time, duty calls and Tony has to fly off into some huge catastrophe or battle.

It's rough being the girlfriend of a superhero. Both of them sacrifice a lot to be with each other, but it's more than worth it. Tony makes her feel different, unlike anything she's ever felt before. It must be the way he looks at her when his carefully constructed façade is torn away, and his big brown eyes are so deep and vulnerable. There, in their depths, Pepper sees everything she has ever wanted from another person.

Sometimes she wonders how in the world she did it, how she got Tony Stark to fall in love with her. After all those years of polygamy, it had seemed that Tony never would have settled down, much less with his assistant. Yet here they are, nearly 8 months into their relationship, and there's no doubt that what they feel for each other is genuine and immeasurable.

Pepper spends most of the day sitting on the couch, watching romantic movies, a pint of Häagen-Dazs clutched between her petite hands. She is upset that Tony is away, even if he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Pepper knows that he would rather be here, with her. It's not his fault and she knows that, but she is still disappointed. Disappointed that Nick Fury _had _to call Tony with a mission today, of all days. And now, he won't be here on Valentine's Day.

Around one, a ping comes through onto the glass touch-table next to her, informing her of a visitor at the gate. "Jarvis," she calls, "Who is it?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts, but Mr. Stark has informed me to withhold this information."

She raises an eyebrow. What could he be up to now? She is suspicious, but plays along with his silly game. "Let them in the gate, then." She spoons a few more mouthfuls of ice cream into her mouth, savoring the rich chocolate. When the doorbell rings, she rises from the couch and makes her way to the front door, brushing her strawberry blond hair from her face.

Pepper opens the door to find a man dressed gaudily in a bright uniform, a huge bouquet of flowers cradled in his arms. He smiles at her, tilting his head a bit. "Are you Virginia Potts?" When she returns the smile and nods, he gently hands her the flowers. Two dozen roses, each the deepest hue of red and pristinely beautiful, are held together by red and gold satin ribbons, the colors reminiscent of Tony's armor. Pepper's grin widens, her body filling with warmth.

Even though she knows the roses are from Tony, she asks anyway. "Who are they from?"

The man's eyes widen. "The order said 'Iron Man'."

Pepper begins to chuckle, the tremors shaking her small frame as she thanks the delivery man and closes the door. How characteristically Tony.

Moving into the kitchen, she retrieves a vase, the crystal one that belonged to Tony's mother, fills it with water, and deposits the flowers into it. Her Blackberry is sitting on the counter; she grabs it, presses a few buttons, then holds the phone to her ear. After a few seconds, she hears the deep voice she is so familiar with, the voice that never fails to send small shivers of desire through her body.

"Hey, Pep." He sounds a little breathless, but his tone is light and playful.

She smiles. "Hello, Tony," she pauses for a minute. "Iron Man sent me some flowers today."

"Oh, did he? Looks like I have some serious competition. I'd better step up my game." She can practically hear him smiling through the phone.

She laughs, then lowers her voice a bit, now serious. "You have no competition, Tony. You know that."

There's a bit of static in the line, and the connection crackles a bit as he responds. "I love you, Pepper." There's a loud thump in the background, followed by a low grunt. "Pep, I've gotta go. I'm sorry. By the way things are going here, I probably won't be home until tomorrow."

Pepper closes her eyes and rests her forehead onto her palm. "It's fine, Tony. Please, just be safe. I want you home in one piece."

"I'll be fine. Don't you worry about m–" And then, in a fit of static, the connection is lost. Pepper tosses her Blackberry back onto the granite counter and returns to her ice cream on the couch, a melancholy sentiment dominating her thoughts. A few tears roll down her face and she quickly brushes them away with the back of her hand. When did she become so selfish? It's not Tony's fault that he can't be with her on Valentine's Day. She should be proud of him, out there risking his life to save strangers.

Around 11 p.m., she falls asleep on the small couch in Tony's workshop. It's here that she always waits for him to arrive home. No matter how many times Tony lectures and begs her to sleep in their bed while he's gone, she still prefers sleeping on the couch. It just doesn't seem right, sleeping in the big bed without him. When he's gone, the entire house seems empty.

Tony always teases her, says that if a train went crashing through the house, she would sleep right through it. Most would assume that Tony would be the heavy sleeper, but it's the other way around. So naturally, Pepper doesn't awake when he enters, metal boots clanging against the concrete. She's still asleep as he steps onto the platform and the bots begin to strip him of the armor.

She finally stirs when Tony kneels beside her on the couch, taking her hand into his and gently rubbing small circles on her palm. Pepper opens her eyes to see him there, brown eyes wide and exhausted, hair matted and wild. He has unzipped the undersuit to his waist and for a second, her eyes are drawn to his muscled chest, noticing how the arc reactor rests there comfortably, how the blue light outlines his jaw. She reaches a hand up to trace the hard line of it.

"I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow."

He smiles in the darkness. "We finished early. I even had time to make a special stop." Tony reaches behind him for a second, and turns back to Pepper with a box in his hand, a silver insignia etched onto the brown packaging. Pepper thinks that the dark color matches his eyes perfectly. She takes the box from his outstretched hand and opens it, gazing at the little chocolates it contains. She looks up at him and smiles as he continues. "Thank goodness for the time difference, otherwise all the shops would have been closed for the night. There's this little place in Brussels that makes the best dark chocolate." He brushes her hair back from her face and leans close to whisper in her ear. "Belgium is beautiful this time of year. We should go sometime."

Pepper shudders a bit and takes advantage of his close proximity to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him forward onto her. His weight is heavy on top of her and he is grimy from hours in the suit, but she doesn't care. Right now, she just needs to be close to him.

His lips are at her neck, gentle and sweet. She draws him closer, straining her neck to allow him better access. One of his hands is wound through her hair and the other on her back, drawing intricate patterns as he explores her, studies how she works. It used to bother her, how he would look at her like one of his machines, but that was Tony. She knows that he loves her, in his own strange way.

She makes a satisfied humming noise deep in her throat and pulls his face up to look at her. "I love you." she whispers. And then she captures his lips with hers, pouring all of her love and affection into him through the simple contact.

The kiss is long and powerful and when they finally pull away, both are panting for breath. Tony rests his forehead against hers, their noses touching slightly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Pepper." He pauses for a minute, his eyes burning with intensity. "My Pepper." He reaches up to rest his hand on her cheek. His fingers are rough against her fair skin, but she doesn't mind.

Pepper smiles and nods, leaning into his touch. "Your Pepper." She agrees.

* * *

As I participate in more of the challenges, I will be posting the fics in here.

Anyway, read and review, if you liked it. :)


	2. Love at First Sight

Here's another one that I wrote for the Valentine's Day Challenge at it's_always_been.

There are new prompts up for the next challenge, but I really don't know which one to do. I guess I should choose one soon and get writing, since my Muse seems to be pretty on this week.

Anyway, here's some sweet!Tony to brighten up your day!

* * *

Do you believe in love at first sight, Pepper?

I didn't used to. Before all this, before us, before Iron Man, I never believed in love. I was careless and selfish, a broken, lost man and no one knew that better than you. For almost a decade, you tolerated my reckless ways, cleaning up my messes and rarely criticizing my actions. But I could see the disgust expressed clearly in your deep blue eyes. You pitied me, as wretched as I was. I saw this, but I still continued to carelessly use women, money, and drinking to escape from my problems.

If only I had known then that you are the best solution to those problems. I am far from perfect, Pepper, even now. Yet you still stay. Sometimes I wonder how in the world I got a woman like you. I definitely don't deserve you, not with all the terrible things I have done in the past. Even after Afghanistan and the changes it brought, echoes of my history still resurface from time to time.

Before Afghanistan, I had been attracted to you. I admit it was merely a physical attraction, and I was only after sex. But you're a beautiful woman, Pepper. How could I have ignored that immediate attraction, that natural instinct?

When I returned, something had changed. I was not the man I had been when I had left home. And there you were, waiting for me as I stepped off of the plane, eyes dark with worry and skin red from crying, but a glorious smile spread across your face. Right then, something in my battered heart clicked into place as I looked at you. Suddenly, for the first time since the arc reactor had been installed, my chest didn't feel so tight and hollow. I didn't realize it then, but I had fallen in love with you. I had had my eyes opened in Afghanistan and I was seeing you clearly for the first time. I had known you for a long time before that, yes, but now I was _really seeing you. _And I liked what I saw, both inside and out.

It took a while to convince you, but I'm glad I persisted. You are the best thing that has happened to me, better than being saved and becoming Iron Man. I just want you to know that I am helplessly in love with you. And it's you, and no one else.

Love Always,

Tony


	3. A Blackbird's Note

Here's something I cooked up for a challenge at it's_always_been over at LiveJournal. I like this one, and hopefully you guys do, too!

As usual, I don't own anything but my writing.

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A Blackbird's Note

I've never been a hopeless romantic. I don't believe in fate or soul mates or love at first sight. And although I enjoy the company of men, I haven't thought about settling down yet.

Besides, my job is much too demanding to be able to keep up a relationship for very long. The guys that do want to spend time with me are unable to understand why I work from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or why I insist on getting up at 3 in the morning after a frantic call from my boss. I'm dedicated to my career, but no man can understand why. And I think they're a bit intimidated by my boss, anyway.

Whenever I do have that rare date, Tony always ruins my plans. And the most unnerving part of it is that I can't figure out why he does it. It's like he has a radar, or a sixth sense for these sort of things. I'll be getting ready to leave work on a Friday night when he'll saunter into my office and innocently ask, "Going somewhere, Potts?" or "Do you have an extra hour? I need you to go through this report for tomorrow." And he never fails to catch me at the worst possible time.

Now I have completely given up the idea of maintaining a relationship. Maybe in the future, but not now, not when I have all this going on. I've made a commitment to my job, and everyone knows what a handful Tony can be. He's an over-confident super-genius at the emotional level of a five-year-old. I guess being forced to grow up too quickly can do that to you.

Since he's returned from Afghanistan, though, things seem to have changed. He seems… different. More mature, maybe? He used to be so selfish, so egotistical, and now he just seems more withdrawn and insightful. The first couple weeks after he returned, it worried me, how he would fall silent so quickly, looking out at the world like he was searching for something, but even he didn't know what it was.

But now I think I know exactly what it was we were both searching for. As I'm dancing with him, our bodies moving in a natural, synchronized rhythm, I know that we both needed someone. I can feel his warm breath at the nape of my neck, and it sparks something inside of me, something I've never felt before. Deep down within me, something is moving, changing, creating a thrill as sharp as a blackbird's note. I look into Tony's eyes and realize that this is it. How did I not see it before? I'm in love with him.

I'm in love with Tony Stark.


	4. Wake Up Call

This one was written for the challenge at its_always_been on LJ.

If I owned the rights to Iron Man, Tony and Pepper would already be an official couple, instead of all that ridiculous sexual tension stuff. Can't they see that they MUST be together already?

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Wake Up Call

It's rare that I get off of work before nine at night. By the time I get home, it's 10 o'clock, and it takes a couple more hours before I'm able to finally lay in my bed and go to sleep. Working for someone as demanding as Tony can be time consuming, not to mention exhausting.

So when Tony actually lets me go home early, I'm in high spirits. I drive home smiling, windows cracked to allow the warm evening air in. For the first time in weeks, I'll actually be able to get to bed before one in the morning.

I decide to indulge myself and order in for dinner. After finishing off a carton of pad thai, I sit in front of the TV for a bit before I decide to go to bed early. I complete my nighttime ritual and sink heavily into my bed. Pulling the covers up nearly to my neck, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind.

I'm at the borderline between conscious and unconscious thought when my Blackberry rings, and I curse quietly. Reaching towards the nightstand, I fumble for my god-forsaken electronic device and answer it on the third ring. I'm immediately greeted by a very loud and very much awake Tony Stark.

"Hey, Pep, are you up?"

"I am now." I say with a sigh. "Why are you calling me at 11 at night on a Tuesday?"

"Well, it's actually exactly 11:11, so make a wish."

I rub my eyes tiredly. _I wish my boss would stop calling me during my off hours. _"Tony, just tell me what you need so I can go back to sleep. We have that conference with the division in France tomorrow and the plane leaves at 6 a.m. You'd better not be late this time."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Don't worry, I'll be there in time. I just need you to do something for me."

"Okay," I say. "What is it?"

I hear Tony cough nervously on the other end of the phone. "Well, Rhodey and I kinda got in a little bit of trouble, and we need you to bail us out of jail."

I sigh in exasperation. "Oh, Tony. What did you do this time?"

"Don't worry, it's not that bad. Just a speeding ticket."

"Then why are you in jail? Were you drinking?" A cold fear seeps into my belly at the thought of Tony turning to alcohol again.

"No, Pep, you know I wouldn't do that. I promised you, remember?" He falls silent, and I'm left to think about what his promise means. There's so much between us, but it all goes unsaid. What will it take for us to finally come to terms with the inevitable?

"I remember." I say quietly. The line is quiet for a few moments, and I can hear Tony cough nervously on the other end. "So what happened?"

"Well, I would have gotten off with just a speeding ticket, if Rhodey hadn't opened his mouth."

"Rhodey? What did he say?"

"Well, he got really drunk, and was passed out in the passenger seat for a while. Then when the cop came back to return my license, he woke up and started mumbling about how cops are just pansies that are too afraid to join the military. Yeah, the officer wasn't too happy about that."

I rest my head in my hand, smiling a little. . "Then why are you in jail with him?"

"Well," he begins sheepishly, "When Rhodey said that stuff to the cop, I started laughing."

I'm too tired to try and stifle the giggle that slips through my lips. "Oh, Tony…"

"You should have seen the guy's face. I couldn't help it. It was funny."

"Just sit tight, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." By this time, I'm fully awake, out of bed, and searching my apartment for a suitable pair of shoes. I briefly consider changing into something more business-like, but give up that idea when I think of the snide remark Tony will undoubtedly make. ("Do you sleep in these suits, Potts?" or "Do you own any clothes besides what you wear to work?")

"Hey, Pep?" Tony calls from the other end. I recognize his serious tone and immediately stop what I'm doing.

"Yes, Tony?"

"Thanks." he says. "Thank you. Do I tell you that often enough? Because you deserve to hear it." When I laugh lightly in response, his voice lowers, and I can imagine his brown eyes widening and growing profoundly deep in his moment of sincerity. "I mean it. You're amazing. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I smile. "You'd have to sign papers and answer your emails on your own." I say. "And you'd have to actually learn your social security number past the first digit."

Tony laughs, and I think that maybe we could be great together. When I first began working for Tony, I never would have thought that I'd become attached to him. I guess that all these years of working for him has finally driven me insane.

Some nights I lay awake, staring at the ceiling and breathing deeply, thinking about my feelings for Tony. There's no denying that there's something there, hiding beneath the surface, waiting to be revealed. If we finally face this thing between us, there's no telling what it could turn into.

But for now, this– knowing that he needs me– is enough.


	5. Ephemeral

**Okay, this one is a bit weird. But it was fun to write! I kinda ripped the idea off of Pandax-Pro's fic "The Future Will Leave You Breathless". I would definitely recommend reading it; its a brilliant ficlet! Here's the link: .net/s/4203953/1/**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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Ephemeral

Stark Industries Cellular Transmission Tower #N138

Virginia Potts' Personal Communication Device

Incoming Transmission Received: 7/17/2011

Time Stamp: 17:27:15

Hello?

Hey, Pep.

Oh, Tony! I just got back from my doctor's appointment.

How'd it go?

Wonderful! He says the baby is developing at a perfectly healthy rate. And he set my due date for March 10th.

That's great, Pep. I'm so excited.

Me too. And despite what you think, you're going to be an excellent father.

(strained chuckling) Thanks, Pepper.

You're welcome. (slight pause) So how's the mission going?

It's going fine. (pained groan) It'll all be fine.

Tony, what's going on? Are you okay?

Pepper, I'm sorry.

For what? Where are you?

(coughing) (choking) Pepper?

Yes, Tony?

I'm sorry. For this. And for everything. I promised I'd always come home to you.

Tony, what are you talking about?

I just want you to know how much I love you, Pepper. I wouldn't be the man I am if it weren't for you. You've made me into a better person. And I owe you so much more than what I've given you, but now... Now it's too late.

Don't talk like that. It's never too late. And you're going to be fine. Jarvis is calling Rhodey right now, and he'll come get you.

(muffled groan) I love you, Pepper. Please remember that. I love you more than anything. And you and the baby are going to be fine. You'll be okay. Because the world keeps on going. The Sun will rise and set, like it always does, even if I'm not there to see it with you.

Tony, hang in there, Rhodey's on his way. You're going to be okay.

No... I– (coughing) (gasping) I have to go, the suit doesn't have much power left. Just please... Remember that I love you. I love you both.

Tony? Tony! Anthony Edward Stark, I swear, don't you dare hang up on–

Transmission Terminated by Caller

Time Stamp: 17:31:04


End file.
